The Church is a unique part of Hackney's heritage. Built in 1563, it's one of the first new Protestant churches in London, and has lovely Tudor brickwork. It was extended in 1828 by Sir Charles Barry, who went on to build the Houses of Parliament. And some prominent anti-slavery campaigners are buried here.

The Church is much valued by local people - we had 500 visitors during an open day last September - but is expensive to run, and we can't afford to open it very often.

So we want to modernise the building and open it up for much wider use, mostly for arts events, by the whole diverse community in Stoke Newington.

We have already hosted popular events, from Early Music to eclectic band Boxcar Aldous Huxley to the Shobana Jayasingh Dance Company.

But the building is cold and uncomfortable with no catering facilities, and only one ancient toilet. We want to make it warm, comfortable, accessible, and welcoming, to host whatever concerts, drama, or exhibitions local people want.

What we'll deliver:

Fix a hole in the roof, and mend broken flooring

Open up the space by removing old fixed pews

Install a kitchenette for refreshments

Put in modern chairs and lighting

Put in modern toilets, one of them accessible for wheelchair users

Warm it up with new and effective heating

Why it's a great idea:

The church is a terrific building, for its history, its atmosphere, and its acoustic. But it's unused for most of the week, and local people aren't able to appreciate it. It's expensive to maintain, and if nothing is done, the parish might have to take it out of use altogether.

In spite of the cold, and lack of facilities, musicians and actors like performing there, because of the acoustic, and people like coming because of the atmosphere.

We want to open it up as a new arts space for the whole community of Stoke Newington and beyond, open to people of all faiths and none, for concerts, plays, exhibitions, and meetings.

There's already lots of interest from people wanting to put on arts events when we reopen. We also want to showcase the heritage from 450 years of history much better, partly by working with our neighbours at Clissold House.

We've raised the money for the main building work, and now need to buy some nice chairs!

Steps to get it done:

Host an opening festival of arts of all sorts in October/November.

Open up the main space, by taking out the fixed pews, and rebuilding the best ones in the south aisle (done)

Showcase the heritage with displays and open days.

Commission a builder to install new heating, toilets, and kitchenette (work starts on 10 June)

About the Project Creator

SMART stands for St Mary's Arts Centre for the Community. We are refurbishing a 450-year old church in Stoke Newington, North London, to open it up as an arts venue for the entire community, while still using it for worship.

The SMART project is run by a committee based at St Mary's church. The Chair is Andrew Hudson, a former senior civil servant, and the Project Manager is Sarah Robson, who was a senior manager in Christian Aid. Other members include a professional musician, a lawyer, and people with experience in the arts and the voluntary sector. The project has the full support of the Rector of St Mary's, Rev Dilly Baker, and the Parochial Church Council.